Stuck Tight
by Kathy Rose
Summary: It's payback time when Hoshi and Malcolm gang up on Travis in a clandestine operation. Sequel to Shot.


* * *

A/N: This is the third in a four-part series that I wrote several years ago about the developing relationship between Malcolm and Hoshi.

* * *

"Have you decided how you're going to discipline Travis?" Hoshi asked the man walking next to her.

"Not yet, but I'm sure it's nothing compared to what you can come up with," Malcolm said.

Hoshi glanced at him as they made their way down the corridor. Only this morning she would have readily pushed him out an airlock with no second thoughts. Now he was courteously escorting her to her cabin.

"I still can't believe Travis did that," Hoshi said, recalling events earlier that day, "listening in while you chased me around the ship with a squirt gun."

"He wasn't the only one," Malcolm reminded her. "There must have been fifteen people gathered around that comm panel when I went by."

"Knowing Travis, he was the ringleader, no matter how many people were in there supposedly learning transporter protocols."

"I can't imagine why I didn't realize they were up to something."

"Gee, I wonder what distracted you?" Hoshi asked with an innocent look on her face as they reached her quarters.

Looking her straight in the eye, he replied, "The same thing that's distracting me tonight."

The appreciation she saw in his eyes sent a tingle through her. He stepped closer and leaned in to place a kiss on her lips. Tentative at first, Hoshi felt it become more insistent as she responded. The notion she previously had that the ship's armory officer was too reserved fled as she felt the impact of his kiss.

They had spent the evening talking in his cabin. She could tell he was interested in becoming better acquainted, not so much by his words but by the way he would look at her while they talked. All in all, he had been the perfect gentleman. Hoshi hadn't known if she should be flattered or disappointed. Now, under the assault of his lips, she decided the word "reserved" didn't apply to Malcolm at all.

Breaking the kiss, he said, "We should have dinner together tomorrow. Perhaps we can come up with a plan to teach Travis a lesson."

"Are you asking me on a date?" she asked.

"Do you want me to?"

* * *

Hoshi thoughts were still on what to do for payback for Travis as she made her way to sickbay the next morning to drop off some data packets. She arrived to find the doctor in full lecture mode for a captive audience of one -- Crewman Dillard from engineering. The crewman had a cut on his hand, and from where she was standing, Hoshi could see that the area around the cut was red and inflamed.

"You people on this ship seem to think that because we are out in space, there is no reason to maintain certain aspects of basic hygiene," Doctor Phlox told the sheepish crewman as he cleaned the cut. "It's just as easy, if not easier, to pick up an infection in an enclosed environment. In addition to all the usual bacteria we have brought along with us, there are all kinds of nasty germs from all over the galaxy just looking for new homes. One happened to find a new home in you. You most likely picked this up from that freighter we assisted last week."

Hoshi waited until Dillard's cut was bandaged before she approached the doctor with the envelope of data packets.

"Is there a problem with infections among the crew?" she asked with concern as the crewman slid off his perch on the biobed and left sickbay.

"Not really, but even a few such incidents can be worrisome," Phlox said as he glanced at the data packets she handed him. "I think I'm going to have to have a mandatory course on the importance of washing hands. I could use an ultraviolet-sensitive gel to demonstrate that principle."

"How's that work?"

"You liberally apply the gel to your hands, then wash them as you would normally. A special light shined on the hands will reveal any of the gel that hasn't been washed off. You would be surprised how much of it is still there after the average person washes his hands. The look on a person's face when he sees his hands glowing green is priceless, too," the doctor added with one of his trademark grins.

The image of glowing hands stayed with Hoshi as she left sickbay. Under the right circumstances, she supposed, it could be rather creepy. A set of glowing hands would fit right in with the cheesy science fiction movie that was scheduled for the next movie night.

* * *

Malcolm led Hoshi to a table for two in the corner of the mess hall for dinner. As they sat down, she asked him what had happened when Travis reported to his office that morning.

"First, I made him wait," Malcolm said. "That's always a good way to make a subordinate uncomfortable."

Hoshi made a small sound of agreement as she began eating her salad.

"Then I told him I checked with the captain about the cross-training program," he said. "Seeing as how Travis learned the lesson you taught him so well -- being able to tap into the comm system and eavesdrop -- the captain decided that we should continue the program in other areas. Travis will be the first to benefit. Not only will he learn proper transporter protocols from Commander Tucker and me, but he then will have to teach them to every crew member who was in the transporter alcove."

"That's not so bad!" Hoshi protested.

"Ah, but he has to teach them one at a time during his off hours."

Hoshi covered her mouth with her hand as she tried not to laugh. "I may be sneaky, but you are mean!" she said in a low voice. "That's going to take up most of his free time for about two weeks."

"Actually, I couldn't be too hard on him, at least in an official capacity. No real damage was done in the cargo bay, and he and Crewman Cutler did clean up the mess from the squirt gun fight." After a pause during which he took a drink of his water, he added, "I also was inclined to be lenient because he's given me a reason to spend time with you."

Pleased by his comment, Hoshi looked away shyly. When she looked back, there was an evil smile lurking on Malcolm's face.

"Then there is the matter of the lubricant on the squirt gun," he said. "In an unofficial capacity, I have planned something else entirely."

"I can't really be mad at him for that," Hoshi said. Travis had smeared lubricant on the squirt gun's trigger before giving it to Malcolm, and in the course of tracking her down in a supposed training scenario, Malcolm had wound up with it smeared all over his face. "Seeing you not so spit-and-polished for once..."

Her voice trailed off as she remembered the moment. They had both just shot each other with squirt guns and Malcolm had started laughing at the absurdity of the situation. He had looked incredibly handsome despite the lubricant he had unknowingly spread over his face. When he had declared that she had shot him in the heart and then reached over and touched her cheek, softly saying her name, her heart had flipped over.

"Hoshi?" Malcolm asked, bringing her back from her musings.

"Sorry. So what do you have planned?" she asked.

"Nothing specific yet, but it will involve large quantities of engine grease."

"Do I get to help?"

"Of course. And whatever you decide to do to him, you can count on my assistance."

"Tell me what you think of this. I was talking to Doctor Phlox this morning..."

* * *

Jon was surprised when Malcolm asked to have a day off. His armory officer was a workaholic and had never asked for time off before. Quite the opposite. It usually took a bad injury to make Malcolm take time off, and even then Jon had to order him to do so. So, while Jon was happy to grant the request, he was somewhat bemused.

"Got anything special planned?" he asked.

"You might say that, sir," Malcolm replied.

"Well?"

"It's personal."

"Ah, I see. Well, enjoy yourself."

"I intend to, sir. Thank you."

Jon watched Malcolm walk back to his station on the bridge. The crew sometimes thought the captain was oblivious to the mundane things that went on aboard the ship, but he wasn't totally clueless. He had seen the looks Malcolm and Hoshi had been trading the last day or two on the bridge. There was something going on with those two. It wasn't a difficult conclusion to reach, especially since Hoshi had asked for the same day off and wouldn't volunteer what she planned to do, either.

* * *

Hoshi met Malcolm in the armory the morning of movie night. Despite being off duty for the day, both were dressed in their uniforms. A variety of tools were spread out on a counter.

"Have you got everything?" she asked, watching him put the tools in the pockets in his uniform.

"I think so. What about you? Did you get the vial from Doctor Phlox?" he asked, handing her a wrench which she tucked into a loop at her waist.

"Yes, it's right here," she said, patting the left chest-level pocket on her uniform. "I stopped by sickbay on the way here and he had it ready."

"He's sure it will work?"

"Oh, yes," Hoshi told him. "He reworked the gel."

Zipping closed a pocket after putting the last tool there, Malcolm gave her a conspiratorial grin and said, "I believe we are ready. Let's go."

Their destination was the gym. At that time of the morning, no one was using the facility and they were able to enter the adjacent shower room without anyone seeing them.

Inspecting one of the shower heads, Malcolm said, "I was afraid of that."

"What's the matter?" Hoshi asked.

"There's no way to do this on the outside," he told her. "We'll have to get into the wall. There's a maintenance accessway to the plumbing. We'll have to go back out in the corridor to get to it."

At the sound of footsteps echoing in the gym, Malcolm called out, "Commander! In here."

"Hi, Malcolm, Hoshi," said Trip, entering the shower room carrying a large can.

The chief engineer didn't seem surprised to see them, and Hoshi gave Malcolm a puzzled glance.

"It's all right, Hoshi," Malcolm said. "I told the commander about our plan. He's volunteered to help us."

"Yeah, Travis had a lot of company when he listened in on you two," Trip said. "I figure, the more the merrier in this little scheme to give him some payback. Probably safer to help you two, anyway, than get caught in the crossfire."

"May I ask what your part is, since someone didn't see fit to tell me about it?" Hoshi asked Trip, giving Malcolm a mock glare.

"Someone's got to be here to trigger whichever shower Travis uses. I've got a remote control that should work. After Travis has his workout tonight, I'll make sure he gets sprayed. Here's that can of engine grease ya wanted, Malcolm. It's the thinner blend, so it should come out the fixture OK."

"Thank you, Commander. I expect you'll be at movie night tonight?"

"I wouldn't miss it for anythin'. See ya there," he said with a grin.

As Trip left, Hoshi asked Malcolm, "You've decided how to use the engine grease?"

"Yes, we're hooking it up here," he said.

"But what about--"

"There's a much better place for that," Malcolm told her with a gleam in his eye.

* * *

Hoshi was standing lookout while Malcolm was deep in the accessway attaching the mechanism to the water pipe when Liz Cutler came down the corridor. Liz's gaze moved up and down Hoshi's uniform, then shifted to the open panel.

"Don't you have the day off?" Liz asked curiously.

"Um, yes, I do...I mean I did...but, but," Hoshi stammered.

"Ensign!" came Malcolm's stern voice from inside the accessway. "If you would be so kind as to quit kibbitzing and start working, we'll have this security relay fixed relatively quickly. Bring me the wrench."

As Hoshi took the wrench from the loop at her waist, Liz looked at the open accessway and then back at Hoshi. "You got stuck with cross-training, too?" she asked in a stage whisper. "With the big, bad lieutenant?"

Hoshi nodded, doing her best to look miserable.

"Ensign!" came Malcolm's stern voice. "I don't have all day! Get in here!"

Giving Liz a hang-dog look, Hoshi stepped over to the accessway and squirmed in as best she could. It was a tight fit with all the pipes, conduits and valves. Liz watched as she disappeared into the accessway, then shook her head as she resumed walking down the hall.

"That was close," Hoshi said as she squeezed up to Malcolm in the confines of the accessway. "I hadn't thought what to say if anyone saw us doing this. Of all people, it had to be Liz. If she finds out, she'll tell Travis."

Starting to calm down from the close call, Hoshi took notice of where she was. "Ah, you know, Malcolm, it's kind of a tight fit."

"Is that so?"

Hoshi did a double take, astonishment overriding her claustrophobia for the moment. The expression on his face was downright naughty.

"Now is not the time to have your mind in the gutter, Malcolm. Get me out of here!"

* * *

Hoshi was even less pleased with the next part of their covert operation. As Malcolm opened the accessway panel near Travis' quarters, she shifted her weight from foot to foot.

"You can do this by yourself, Malcolm. You don't need me to go in there," she pleaded.

"I can do it myself, but I'm not going to. I'll stand out here this time."

"But--" Hoshi began.

"No 'buts,' Hoshi. To have any satisfaction in taking revenge, you have to participate. Besides, you came up with the idea of the gel."

Seeing how nervous she was, he took a quick look both ways down the corridor to make sure no one was in sight. He stepped up to her and gently grasped her shoulders. "I know you can do this," he said encouragingly, and placed a quick kiss on her lips. "There, that should help."

"A bit," she admitted, now feeling anxious in a different way. She turned to enter the accessway, but couldn't make herself go in. Turning back around to face Malcolm, she said, "I think I need some more to feel better."

"Go on!" he said with a smile, giving her a little push in the direction of the accessway. "I'll be right here if you need anything."

"Ooooh, all right," she said.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped through the opening. It wasn't as cramped in this accessway as the one by the shower room, but it was enough to make Hoshi uncomfortable. Turning on her handlight, she squeezed in, working her way to a ladder leading up above the ceiling. Pipes and power conduits ran above the ceiling, and she had to climb the ladder to reach the crawlway with the pipes for Travis' quarters.

Hurrying because of her discomfort, it took her less than a minute to reach the point where she was to attach the vial of gel. First she would have to cut off the water. Fixing the wrench in place, she pulled but couldn't get enough leverage to shut off the valve, even when she tried lying on her side with her back to one wall and her knees against the other.

"Damn," she muttered as she put all her strength into pulling on the wrench. "I get all the way in here and now I can't get this...damn...thing...shut!"

She dropped the wrench. Wiping her brow, she resigned herself to backing out the crawlway. She'd have to go at least as far as the ladder for Malcolm to be able to hear her. With a few curses in several languages, she started slithering backward.

"Malcolm?" she called cautiously when she reached the ladder. When he didn't answer immediately, the panic she had been holding at bay threatened to wash over her. "Malcolm!" she called louder.

"What is it, Hoshi?" came his reassuring voice from the corridor.

"I can't get the valve shut!"

"Why not?"

"I can't pull hard enough to get it to move. I think it's stuck."

She heard Malcolm entering the accessway, then some metallic scraping as he replaced the panel from the inside. With the entrance to the accessway closed, Hoshi felt her claustrophobia hitch up a notch.

His voice came up to her from the bottom of the ladder. "Move back, and I'll come up."

Hoshi had no choice but to crawl back to the valve, with Malcolm following behind her. When she got to the valve, she picked up the wrench from where she had dropped it. Putting it back in place on the valve, she pulled.

"I can't see what you're doing," Malcolm said from behind her.

"Well, whatever I'm doing, it's not working!" she said irritably.

"Let me get by you and see."

"There's no room!"

"There's plenty of room. I think I can squeeze past you. It might be that we need a different tool."

Her patience fraying, her claustrophobia working overtime, Hoshi snapped, "Well, if you think you can get your tool up here, you're more than welcome to try!"

Malcolm almost choked at her unintentional innuendo.

"Malcolm, are you laughing at me?" she cried indignantly.

"Never. OK, Hoshi, I'm going to slide up next to you. Just stay where you are."

Since Hoshi was on her left side, he rolled from his stomach onto his right side to move forward. He began inching along, the cramped quarters ensuring his progress was slow. He grasped her ankles, which he held as he pulled himself forward, then he switched his grip to her knees. He slid a little farther and grasped her waist.

"Malcolm," Hoshi said in a silky voice that caught his attention.

"Uh, yes?"

"Don't even think about grabbing what you're thinking about grabbing next!" she said, all traces of the silky voice gone.

"Ah, of course not. I'm going to put my hands on your shoulders next," he said, trying to both calm and warn her. "I should be able to get up...come... Bloody hell, woman! You've got me so damn distracted I can't think straight!"

"Would you just get up here!"

Slithering a bit more, Malcolm pulled himself even with Hoshi. Face to face, their bodies pressed together and their lips inches apart, both of them were breathing raggedly. Malcolm wasn't surprised by his reaction; he was enjoying being close to her. Hoshi, however, was having an entirely different reaction. Her body was tense, her eyes slightly wild, and there was a sheen of sweat on her forehead as she tried to fight being overwhelmed by claustrophobia.

"Hoshi! Calm down," he said. "Take some deep breaths."

As she followed his instructions, her chest began to rise and fall even more strenuously against his, and Malcolm realized that that might not have been the best thing to tell her to do, at least from his perspective. Clearing his throat and trying to clear his mind, he said, "You, ah, just keep doing what you're doing. I'm going to shut the valve."

Picking up the wrench from where Hoshi had dropped it on the floor of the crawlway ahead of them, he attached it to the valve. He slowly increased the pressure on the wrench handle, but the valve wouldn't budge. Taking a quick breath, he gave the wrench a sharp jerk and the valve broke loose.

"Got it," Malcolm said. "Hand me the vial and I'll hook it up."

Hoshi wiggled a bit, but couldn't get her hands free from between them.

"I can't get to it," she told him.

"If you'll permit me?" he asked.

She nodded and he brought one of his hands down from over his head. She watched as he unzipped the chest pocket of her uniform and saw his hand hesitate a moment. Then he reached into the pocket with his thumb and forefinger, grasped the vial and removed it.

Attaching the vial was a simple procedure of clicking the end of it into place at the intake port. Then Malcolm opened the water valve.

"There," Malcolm said. "When Travis takes a shower, this will enter the system with the water."

"Malcolm? I've got to get out of here now."

"You want to go first?"

Not bothering to answer, she started squirming back toward the ladder. She hadn't moved more than two or three inches when she stopped.

"Malcolm? I'm stuck!"

"Stuck?"

"I think the tool loop on my uniform has snagged on something," she said as she tried unsuccessfully to move her hands behind her. "I can't reach it!"

Malcolm had been stretched out with his arms over his head. He brought them down and inserted them between the two of them, saying, "It will be all right, Hoshi. I'm going to reach around behind you and get you unsnagged."

Hoshi managed a shaky laugh, closing her eyes as he snaked his hands around her. "I've always had this fear of enclosed spaces. Crazy, isn't it, that I wound up in space on a ship? What was I thinking?"

"I know what I'm thinking," Malcolm said, causing her luminous brown eyes to pop open directly in front of his his grey-blue eyes.

Unable to look away, she whispered, "What are you thinking?"

"Maybe I should show you," he said.

It was only a matter of tilting his head for his lips to touch hers. Gently at first, then with more urgency, he kissed her, his arms tightening around her waist. Hoshi felt her claustrophobia being forced away by another, much warmer feeling. She returned the kiss, pressing even closer to him. They stayed locked together in the kiss for some time, and she became aware not only of her growing passion but an obvious indication of his pushing back against her.

"Ah, Malcolm," she said, interrupting their kiss. "Maybe we both better think about something else. You seem to be taking up more space. A lot more space."

Groaning, he tilted his head back to rest it against the crawlway wall.

"You're right," he said regretfully. "Much as I am enjoying this, we need to get out. If we don't, I may be tempted to stay stuck in here with you the rest of the day."

"We'd miss movie night," she said.

"That wouldn't do, would it? All this hard work and not being able to see the results?"

* * *

Travis followed a routine on movie nights. After he got off duty, he would work out in the gym. Then, after a shower, he would grab a late dinner in the mess hall before catching the movie. Tonight's movie promised to be entertaining. He had heard that Trip had picked out an old science-fiction movie that was so bad it was funny.

Trip was in the gym when Travis arrived. "Hi, Commander," the helmsman said as he put down his gym bag.

"Travis," Trip replied from where he was pedaling on one of the exercise bicycles.

Travis began using the weights, and each man went about exercising in silence. Trip finished first, and went to take a shower. He was getting dressed when Travis came in the shower room.

"Comin' to movie night?" Trip asked while he put on his shoes.

"Wouldn't miss it," Travis said. "I understand it's a classic."

"All the movies I pick out are classics," Trip said as Travis went into one of the showers.

Trip waited until Travis had pulled the curtain closed and started the water running before he took the remote out of his pants pocket. He pushed a button and waited. It didn't take long.

"Hey! What is this?" Travis yelped from behind the curtain.

"What's the matter?" Trip yelled back.

"This isn't water! It's some kind of grease!"

"What? Better shut it off and let me take a look at it."

Travis shut off the faucet and pulled the curtain open. He was covered in engine grease from head to toe, with streaky swaths across his face and chest where he had swiped at it.

"What is this stuff?" he asked.

"Looks like engine grease," Trip said. "How did that get in there?"

Travis continued wiping at the grease but it was a futile effort. The grease just kept sliding around under his hands.

"It's Hoshi! I know it. She's getting back at me for eavesdropping," Travis said.

"Looks like she did a pretty good job," Trip said. "If I were you, I wouldn't try any of the other showers in here. She's liable to have rigged 'em all."

"Well, at least it's over with," Travis said with a sigh. "I've been waiting the last few days for her to do something. In a way, it's a relief." Catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror over the sinks, he said, "Man, I'm a mess."

"Ya better get cleaned up if you're gonna make it to movie night."

"Yes, sir. Guess I'll go back to my quarters to do that."

"Ya do that, Travis. I'll take a look at the showers."

Trip managed not to laugh until Travis, wrapped in a towel and trailing drips of grease behind him, was out the gym door.

* * *

Travis rounded a corner in the corridor and almost ran into Enterprise's armory officer.

"Excuse me, sir!" he said as he slid to a sudden halt, coming to attention as much as possible while wearing only a towel.

"Mr. Mayweather," Malcolm said. "You are a mess."

"Yes, sir," Travis agreed, looking down at himself. "The showers in the gym have been rigged to put out engine grease! I think Hoshi pulled a prank on me."

"What makes you think it was Ensign Sato?" Malcolm asked.

Something in the armory officer's voice made Travis look at him. There was a glint in Malcolm's eye and a malicious smirk on his face.

"As I recall," Malcolm continued, "all you did to Ensign Sato was eavesdrop. Your use of a lubricant involved someone else, I believe."

Travis couldn't do anything but stand with his mouth open, staring at Malcolm. The possibilities of what could have happened because he had pissed off the ship's armory officer weren't lost on him. Malcolm was the most dangerous man on board; Travis was lucky to get away with a coating of grease. And he never in a million years would have thought the normally staid armory officer would have participated in a prank.

"Best get cleaned up, Ensign. The state you are in is uncalled for even in casual dress," Malcolm said, eyeing the now grease-soaked towel wrapped around Travis' midsection.

"Yes, sir," Travis managed to say as Malcolm walked away. Travis realized unhappily that not only had Malcolm more than retaliated for the little trick he had pulled on him, but he still had to worry about whatever Hoshi might be planning to do.

* * *

Hoshi and Malcolm had arrived early for movie night, wanting to get seats in the back. He was telling her about his encounter with Travis when Trip joined them, sitting on the other side of Hoshi.

"I bet the laundry's gonna be working past their shift tomorrow," Trip said. "That stuff doesn't come off with just soap and water, and he's gonna have to use every towel he's got."

"He should have a certain glow after he gets cleaned up," Hoshi said with a big smile. "I can't wait to see this. The gel Doctor Phlox made has a phosphorus compound that makes it glow in the dark after being exposed to ordinary light."

There was a pause in the conversation, and Trip noticed how close Malcolm and Hoshi were sitting. Malcolm had his arm across the back of her chair, and she was leaning toward the armory officer.

"Somethin' goin' on here I don't know about?" Trip asked curiously.

Hoshi felt a blush tinge her cheeks and straightened in her seat. Malcolm left his arm where it was and just looked at Trip with a raised eyebrow, daring him to continue his line of questioning.

Further conversation was forestalled when Travis entered with Liz. Glancing around, Travis spotted the group at the back. When Liz started to head that way, Travis tugged on her arm and led her to a spot at the front.

"I believe Travis is a little afraid of me right now," Malcolm remarked, causing Hoshi to chuckle.

"Perfect," she said with satisfaction as Travis sat down. "Front and center, where everyone can see."

The lights began to dim, and the audience quieted down, waiting for the movie to begin. Malcolm reached over with his free hand and took Hoshi's hand in his, and she gave his hand a quick squeeze.

Just as the opening credits began to play, a green glow began to emanate from Travis. Slowly at first, then steadily brighter. Soon the people seated around Travis were looking at him. Liz had scooted away from him and was staring incredulously as even his hair began to shine. He held up his hands, looking at one side, then flipping them over to look at the other side in stunned disbelief.

"Hey, Travis!" Trip yelled from the back. "Ya wanna turn the voltage down? You're so bright we can't see the screen!"

Travis whirled around in his seat to see Hoshi doubled over with laughter and Malcolm smirking at him for the second time in an hour. Resigned to having been the victim of two practical jokes in one day, he stood up and put his arms up in a gesture of surrender.

"This better come off with soap," Travis called across the room to Hoshi.

Gathering what was left of his dignity, Travis headed for the door. Gales of laughter followed him into the corridor.

The crowd eventually calmed down, and the movie was restarted. But as the opening credits flashed on the screen, Trip's matter-of-fact question, "I wonder where he's gonna shower now?" started Hoshi laughing again.

A tug on her hand drew her attention to Malcolm. He was looking at her with a question in his eyes. When he stood, she stood as well.

"You're not leavin', are ya?" Trip asked.

"Actually, I'm not interested in the movie," Malcolm said with a significant glance at the woman beside him.

"What about you, Hoshi?"

"I'm sorry, Commander. I have other plans, and I'm stuck with them."

Malcolm gestured toward the door, indicating Hoshi should precede him. Once in the corridor, Malcolm turned to face her and repeated her words quizzically. "Other plans? Stuck with them?"

"Oh, yes. And this is just the first part of my plan to make sure you're stuck with me," she said, reaching up to give him a long kiss.


End file.
